'Game of Thrones' author George R. R. Martin liked 'Ant-Man' so much he blogged about it

When he's not writing "The Winds of Winter", George R.R. Martin
likes to update the world on his various musings and what he's
been up to via his LiveJournal page. This week, it's all about
"Ant-Man", a movie he really liked — although, like
me, he was a bit worried at first.

While this in and of itself might not be news per
se, it's worth noting that Martin has some very cogent
thoughts on what makes Ant-Man such a special character in the
Marvel Universe, and why it's such a shame that The Wasp doesn't
have a prominent role in the film:

"I loved his [Ant-Man's] partnership with the Wasp. At a
time when every other comic was playing the endless "romantic
tension" card, or the older and hoarier "I must hide my secret
from my girlfriend" trope, here was a man and a woman who
adventured together, who loved each other without question, who
even helped found the Avengers together... that was revolutionary
in the early 1960s, like much of what Stan Lee did... (and sad to
say, it would even be sort of revolutionary today)."

The Wasp as she appears in
the comics.Stephanie
Hans/Marvel

He also brings up an oft-repeated criticism of Marvel
movies: They have a villain problem. Martin's take, however, is a
bit different than most — he's just tired of all the villains
that have the same powers as the heroes.

I am tired of this Marvel movie trope where the bad guy has
the same powers as the hero. The Hulk fought the Abomination, who
is just a bad Hulk. Spider-Man fights Venom, who is just a bad
Spider-Man. Iron Man fights Ironmonger, a bad Iron Man. Yawn. I
want more films where the hero and the villain have wildly
different powers. That makes the action much more
interesting